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Illinois Football: Illini pursuing 4-star St. Louis cornerback for 2023

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 21, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Illinois Fighting Illini helmet sits on the grass during pre game before a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Illinois Fighting Illini helmet sits on the grass during pre game before a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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St. Louis was a big part of the recruiting strategy for the previous Illinois football coaching staff, and now the new staff is trying to dip their toes into the St. Louis waters.

Heading into the future, it is important that the Illini focuses on secure quality talent along with quantity. For the 2022 class, they have been able to accomplish this goal. Illinois has yet to secure a commitment for 2023, though. Christian Gray would be a great first addition to the Illini class of 2023.

Gray is a 6-foot, 175-pound cornerback from DeSmet High School and resides in St. Louis, Missouri. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 151 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 18 cornerback in the nation and the No. 4 player coming out of Missouri.


This past Wednesday, Illinois officially entered the running for Gray’s commitment. They offered him a scholarship and joined a variety of other big-time programs like Ohio State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma, to name a few.

I would love for Illinois football to continue a strong connection in St. Louis.

The Lovie Smith era of Illinois football was not great when it came to recruiting. This was their major flaw, and it reflected on the football field. But one area of recruiting they managed to do well was target St. Louis.

Some of the best players on the team right now came from St. Louis. Isaiah Williams, who is now a wide receiver, was a top 200 player nationally and is arguably our best athlete. Reggie Love III is going to be our starting running back in the next couple of years.

Illinois built out their offensive line from St. Louis. Both Josh Plohr and Moses Okpala are from St. Louis, and they will be impactful blockers for the next four years with the program. And then you have a future NFL linebacker in Shammond Cooper who came from St. Louis. I can’t wait to see him breakout over the next year or so.

dark. Next. Projected Illini depth chart on offense for 2021

I want to see the strong St. Louis connection continue under the new Bret Bielema era. Bielema’s coaching staff is already stronger at recruiting than the previous staff, but I also don’t want to forget about St. Louis. The offer to Gray signifies that we won’t forget about the talent-rich area. Hopefully, we can land Gray and start building the class of 2023.

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